According to the article, which analyzed CDC data from 2000 to 2017, about 10 percent of suicides were from intentional overdose. In that period, deaths from suicide rose 60 percent, from 29,319 to 47,173, and the opioid-related suicide rate nearly doubled. In 2017, 1,887 Americans died of reported intentional opioid overdoses. A suicide note or a previous suicide attempt can be an indication that a drug overdose was intentional. Research has established a link between chronic pain and suicide, as well as between high rates of opioid prescription and suicide.

Source: Huffington Post January 10, 2019 14:26 UTC